Vestibular Rehabilitation: Treatment for Dizziness and Balance Disorders

Physical therapists may use vestibular rehabilitation to treat patients with dizziness, vertigo or other balance disorders that originate in the vestibule of the inner ear. People use the vestibule, their vision and other sensations to help them maintain balance.

Related Conditions

• According to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, patients with a history of diabetes, stroke or a head injury may have problems with balance that may be effectively treated with vestibular rehabilitation.

Elderly

• Elderly people have an increased risk of developing balance problems due to decreased reaction times, medications that may damage the inner ear or other medical conditions that may cause dizziness or vertigo. Vestibular rehabilitation may help elderly patients overcome difficulties with balance.

Exercises

• Physical therapists may have patients perform oculomotor exercises to improve coordination between the vestibular system, the brain and the eyes. Motion tolerance exercises may help patients retrain their brains to respond to movements without becoming dizzy.

Balance Retraining

• Vestibular rehabilitation patients may use balance retraining to teach their brains to use several systems to improve balance control.

Effectiveness

• The effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation can be as high as 90 percent in patients who use prescribed physical and occupational therapy techniques to treat vertigo and balance problems.